A Surprise Upon Return
by Ginevra Magdalene Katnis Eaton
Summary: Jasper returns from war to find more than his wife waiting for him. One-Shot


"Oh gosh dang it!" Jasper heard his wife yell from the kitchen as she threw down a towel and rushed to great him.

She was still as beautiful as she had been ten months ago: same messy brown hair which shined red in the sunlight, same wide smile and welcoming brown eyes. His perfect southern belle.

"Hiedi, darlin'," he chuckled as she flew out the front door, running as best she could in her heels and long dress, and leapt into his arms.

"Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, my Jasper, my love," she laughed kissing him repeatedly as her legs wrapped tightly around his hips and her arms around his neck.

People had heard her exclamation and where heading out to see what had caused it. Jasper tried to tell his wife of this knew development but she was already aware of that fact and couldn't give a rat's arse about it. However, Jasper was beginning to hear them begin to whisper about the affection that was being shown at a level too high for what was proper.

"Belle, my darlin', we're causin' a scene," Jasper whispered in his wife's ear, tangling his hand in her brown hair. "Let us go inside."

She pressed one final kiss firmly against his lips but then hoped down, her brown eyes meeting his for the first time. He beamed down at her, one hand tangled in her and the other placed against the small of her back.

"Heidi doo, folks," Jasper raised his hat to the crowd that had gathered. "Awfully sorry I cain't stay and chat but I hafta catch up with my wife, y'all understand, of course. As y'all can see, nothing is wrong, my wife simply hollered at the sight of me."

A chuckle ran through the crowd. Several women curtsied to him and men tipped their hats in return before they began to disperse away.

"Welcome home, Mr Whitlock," was called as they did so among other variations of the same message.

"Come, Isabella, let us go inside," he repeated to his wife, "where we can speak with disrupting folks."

"Did you miss me?" Isabella asked as he threaded his fingers through hers and began to lead her back into the house.

"Dreadfully so, my darlin', what would make you think otherwise?"

"You haven't wrote in a while," she frowned up at him and Jasper cringed - perhaps he shouldn't have gotten her mind of kissing him.

"I haven't been able to, my darlin'," Jasper closed the door behind them and pushed his wife against it. "You know that I write whenever I can manage it but recently we've been so terribly busy that I haven't had the time."

He kissed her passionately and he could feel the tension leave her shoulders until she placed her hands on his chest to push him away. He stared down at her with his eyes wide, confused between her different behaviours.

"I have much to tell you," Jasper froze and the seriousness of her voice. "Look yonder."

Jasper turned his head toward her she pointed a hand to, to see a child's crumb sitting in the corner in the living room. He walked towards almost ghost like, feeling his wife follow behind him.

"I would have toad you but I couldn't dang well tell you in a letter, it seemed almost cruel," his wife was almost in tears but Jasper couldn't turn to her as he had just reached the bassinette.

Sitting inside it fast asleep was a blonde child, a girl, was soft pick lips and tiny fingers. Jasper stared at her, feeling his heart soften. Brown eyes fluttered open and Jasper couldn't help but reach down. The child made a noise and he froze. The child, however, then reached for him. He beamed as she wrapped a hand around his finger.

His wife's words finally got through to him and he realised she had been speaking this whole time.

"Are you mad at me, baby?"

Jasper spun around, allowing the baby girl to keep hold of his finger. She, his wife, was biting her bottom lip and her eyes were wide. It was expression Jasper knew well: she was nervous. Nervous of him this time, of his reaction but he couldn't comfort her at that specific moment for his mind was too focused on the tiny child behind him. It was trapped.

"Who is she?" he questioned in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Our daughter," Jasper sighed, he never believed that his wife would be unfaithful and the girl did have his hair but he had to make sure. The tears his wife had been near were now falling down her face. "Her name's Jaquelina, Jaquelina Belle Whitlock."

Jaquelina cried out at the sound of her name and Jasper watched his wife move around him to pick her up as he run his daughters name through his head several time. 'Jaquelina' – original, beautiful but strong. Jasper wasn't sure what it meant but he liked it.

"It's okay, Jaquie," she whispered stroking their daughters her before she looked back up at Jasper, she beamed at him and he couldn't help but smile back at her. It was what they'd always wanted and now there she was, greeting him home from war with their daughter in her arms - she was like a picture, "Daddy's home now."

Jasper's smile widened and he pulled Isabella back to him. Careful not to smother their daughter he hugged her tightly, feeling her wet his army uniform with her tears as he rubbed her back and relished in the change of his life. The war was over, he was home, he had a daughter – it wasn't exactly what he had expected when he was told he had a leave two weeks ago. He had expected to come home with the war still ongoing, knowing he would have to return at the end of the week, and to find everything at home the same. This, he decided, was much preferred.

"Jazz?"

"Yessum?"

"I do love you."

"I do love you too, awfully so."

* * *

**I always write more when I'm on holiday – shame it's not something for my unfinished stories. **


End file.
